State Roundup: Sun to be sold to nonprofit; Van Hollen, state lawmakers urge action on housing crisis
SUN SET TO RETURN TO LOCAL HANDS: Returning The Baltimore Sun to Maryland hands, the state’s largest newspaper and its affiliates are poised to be acquired by a nonprofit formed by businessman and philanthropist Stewart Bainum Jr. that would operate the media organization for the benefit of the community. The sale would be part of a $630 million deal announced late Tuesday for Alden Global Capital to acquire full control of Tribune Publishing, Christopher Dinsmore of the Sun reports.
WHO IS STEWART BAINUM? The Baltimore Sun is poised to be acquired by a nonprofit founded last month by Stewart Bainum Jr., a Montgomery County-raised business owner who has also been active in Maryland politics and philanthropy, John O’Connor of the Sun reports. The acquisition would include The Sun, The Capital Gazette in Annapolis, the Carroll County Times and other community newspapers in the Ba
State Roundup: Hogan signs $1.2 billion relief bill; funds target hard hit Marylanders, businesses
It was a bipartisan thumbs up at Monday s signing of the $1.2 billion relief package. From left: At the desk were Senate President Bill Ferguson, Gov. Larry Hogan and House Speaker Adrienne Jones. Behind them, from left, were House Minority Leader Nic Kipke, House Majority Leader Eric Luedtke, Senate Budget & Tax Chair Guy Guzzone and Senate Minority Leader Bryan Simonaire. Governor s Office photo
HOGAN SIGNS $1.2B RELIEF ACT: When Gov. Larry Hogan put pen to paper on Monday afternoon and signed the RELIEF Act into law, he triggered a series of maneuvers that will enable hundreds of thousands of state residents to get stimulus payments and many businesses to get tax breaks, Pamela Wood of the Sun reports.
State Roundup: Bill would end ICE contract renewals, future private detention jails; pandemic relief bill expanded
An ice sculpture of the State House st the Red Red Wine bar in Annapolis in January 2017. A lobbying firm paid for the sculpture. MarylandReporter.com file photo
BILL WOULD BLOCK NEW ICE DETENTION CENTERS: The General Assembly is considering legislation that would essentially put an end to privately run immigration detention centers in the state. But currently, there do not appear to be any in the state, writes Bryan Renbaum of Maryland Reporter.
The Dignity Not Detention Act would prevent the state’s detention centers from renewing existing contracts with ICE or private prison companies and prevent the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency from coming into Maryland in the future to build new detention centers, Audrey Decker of Capital News Service reports.
State Roundup: House overrides vetoes on Kirwan, taxes; Rep. Brown slams Hogan vaxx rollout
Legislators meeting in the House annex for social distancing. From Del. David Moon s Facebook page
OVERRIDE OF VETOES BEGINS: The Maryland General Assembly is poised this week to override the vetoes of several landmark bills that Gov. Larry Hogan (R) issued last year, including a multibillion-dollar overhaul of the state’s public education system and two taxes that would help pay for the restructuring: a tax on digital streaming and a first-in-the-nation tax on digital ads, Ovetta Wiggins and Erin Cox report in the Post.
The Maryland House of Delegates voted Monday to override Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto of a comprehensive K-12 education measure that would boost school funding by billions of dollars over a decade’s time, Brian Witte of the AP reports.
State Roundup: Maryland speeds up vaccination timeline, but for many health care workers, 2nd doses prove elusive
State House in snow (Photo by Matt Proud)
STATE SPEEDS UP VACCINE TIMELINE BUT 2
nd DOSES ELUSIVE: Maryland is speeding up its vaccination timeline, following the lead of other states and recommendations from federal officials as the surge of deaths and hospitalizations in the U.S. associated with COVID-19 continues. As of Monday, hospitalized people with certain medical conditions placing them at greater risk of a severe COVID-19 case are eligible for vaccination, McKenna Oxenden and Hallie Miller report in the Sun.
Hospitals across the state are reporting difficulties in getting enough vaccines to provide second doses to health care workers in the highest priority categories, according to state officials. The news comes as federal officials in the Department of Health and Human Services and the White House COVID-19 Response Team advised states Monday to not withh